Nothing to be afraid of
by Pancakesftw50
Summary: Lilli has always been scared of storms. The thunder, the lightning, everything! She goes to her brother for help, and he tells her a story...


Lilli awoke with a start, as the thunder crashed outside. "S…Storm." She muttered to herself. Lilli had always hated storms, but that hatred and fear escalated ever since Vash had found her in an alley. The rain, the thunder, the lightning, everything about a storm she was afraid of.

She got out of bed and hugged her pajamas to her small frame more tightly. Lilli could feel the tears begin to stream down her cheeks, but she made no effort to stop them. A flash of lightning made her jump and run from her room. "Bruder!" She yelled as she raced down the hall.

Lilli burst into her brother's room crying, scared, and out of breath. Of course, with all the noise, he immediately woke up and jumped out of bed to see what was wrong. "Lilli, what's wrong?" He noticed the tears running down her cheeks. "What happened?" Just then, thunder crashed, and rattled their house. Lilli yelped and flung herself at her brother. "It's storming…" She whispered, hugging Vash as tight as she could.

Vash's stance went from 'Attack intruder' to 'Comfort Lilli' in an instant.

"Alright." He told her, as he picked her up and laid her in his bed. As he wrapped the covers around her, Lilli continued crying in suppressed, body-wracking sobs. "Shh, don't worry, it's just a little rain." Vash tried to comfort her, but no amount of stroking her hair or telling her that there was nothing to be scared of seemed to work.

"…Hey, Lilli. Would you like to hear a story?" He asked, although he didn't really know any stories that would comfort her in this situation. She nodded and wiped her eyes, trying desperately to dry them. He sighed and climbed into bed with her, allowing her to snuggle up close to him as another crash of thunder rattled the windows. "Once upon a time," Vash began, wracking his brain for something that would cheer her up, "There was a little girl. She didn't like storms, not one bit."

Lilli hugged his arm as if it was the only thing that could ever protect her. Vash continued. "The little girl had an older brother. Her brother didn't like it when she was scared, so he decided to tell her a story from when he was younger." He stroked her hair as he spoke.

"'You see that rain?' Her older brother asked. 'That's god watering our earth to make the beautiful flowers and to help the farmer's crops grow.'" Vash felt Lilli loosen her death grip on his arm a bit. "The little girl asked her brother, 'What about the lightning? Surely nothing good can come from something like that.' Her brother answered."

Lilli's breathing began to normalize and she looked up at her brother. "What did he say?" she asked. Vash smiled down at her and continued his story, which was coming out easier than he thought. "He said, 'Lightning, dear sister, is just a flashlight for the people who have lost their way, and who need to get back on the right path.' Her older brother explained."

Lilli smiled back up at her brother and leaned her head on his shoulder, thoroughly enjoying this story. "'What about the thunder?' The little girl asked, to which her brother replied, 'Thunder is the best part! That is the heavenly band, playing us a lullaby at night, although, they should play a bit quieter, don't you think?' "

Vash smiled a bit wider as Lilli nodded her head in agreement. "And so, the little girl, who had forgotten her fears hugged her brother and thanked him. From that day on, every time she got scared of a storm, her brother told her the story and made her happy again. The two siblings lived happily ever after. The end." Vash finished kissed his sister's forehead. "Better?" he asked. "Much. Thank you." She lay back on the bed and yawned.

"Good, now try to sleep." Vash patted her head and leaned back onto his own pillow. One final crash of thunder, perhaps the loudest of all, shook the house.

"Listen Vash. The band is playing their lullaby." Lilli whispered and fell asleep. Vash smiled and nodded, drifting off to sleep right next to her. Lilli did not wake up when the thunder crashed, instead she dreamed of watching the storm with her brother.

And they both lived happily ever after.


End file.
